Road-building machinery



Dec; 26, 1922.

0. D FARMER-ZET AL."

ROAD BUILDIINGMACHINERYK 3 SHEETSQSHEET 1.

FILED Auebzs. 1920.

A TTORNE Y8 WITNESSES Dec. 26, 1922. 1,439,879.

0. n FARMER ET AL.

ROAD BUILDING MACHINERY.

FILED AUG.26, |920.- a SHEETS-SHEET 2.

1 mamas Dec. 26, 1922. 1,439,879. 0. 0. FARMER ET AL.

ROAD BUILDING MACHINERY. v FILED AUG.26. I920. 3 sHEEr-sHm 3 INVENTORS @rneZZA JD fioZZzLr hLL/ZZZ 7 Patented Dec 2%, 3922.

causes CORNELIUS D. FARMER AND HOLLIS W. LIBBY, 0F EUGENE, OREGON.

ROAD-BUILDING MACHINERY.

Application filed August 28, 1920. Serial No. 406,071.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CORNELIUS D. FAR- MER and HoLLIs V. LIBBY, citizens of the United States, and residents of Eugene, in the county of Lane and State of Oregon, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Road-Building Machinery, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates in general to road building methods and machinery, and more particularly to an improved method and apparatus of this character especially adapted to carry out resurfacing operations.

The object of the invention is to provide a method and apparatus of this character in which the roadway may be provided with a new surface completely covering the old roadway and filling all ruts, breaks and bad places so as to present a smooth and even surface well adapted to bear the strains incident to trafiic and in which the resurfacing of the roadway is carried out expeditiously v and with a-minimum of handling of the resurfacing material and a minimum expenditure of labor.

Other objects and advantages reside in the certain novel features of the construction, arrangement and combination of parts of the apparatus and of the nature, relation and sequence of the steps of the method which will. be hereinafter more fully described and particularly'pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, and in which Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the apparatus; a

Figure 2 is a plan view thereof;

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view on the line 33 of Figure 2; 1

Figure 4 is a plan view of the sled apart from the wheeled vehicle, parts being broken away for the sake of illustration.

Referring to the drawing's,- it will be seen that the apparatus embodying the invention includes a wheeled vehicle having a suitable frame 10, front wheels 11 and rear wheels 12. The vehicle is adapted to be drawn'over the road to be resurfaced'in any suitablemanner and by any suitable means.

A sled is arranged beneath-the vehicle and consists of side bars 13, end bars 14 and suitable cross braces 15 extending between members 13". The front ends of the side bars 13 are curved upwardly, as at 13in Figure 1, to facilitate the travel of the sled over obstruction and irregularities in the roadway. On the under side or road engaging surface each of the wooden members 13 is provided with metallic shoes 13.

The sled is adapted to be drawn by the vehicle when in use, and when not in use it may be suspended from the vehicle out of engagement withthe roadway. The means for suspending the sled from the vehicle and drawing the same therefrom consists of a pair of windlasses16 carried at the forward end of the vehicle and a pair of windlasses 17 carried at. the rear end of the vehicle. Each Windlass of each pair is identical in construction and as shown in Figure 3 includes the frame or bracket 18 secured to the side members of the frame 10 of the vehicle, and a winding drum 19 which has its axle l9 journaled in the bracket 18, and

upon the winding drum a cable 20 is secured wooden members 13 and intermediate steel end of the axle 19 is squared, as indicated as the cables 20 are wound upon the winding drums the sled is at first drawn closer to the vehicle and finally 'is lifted old the ground to be suspended entirely from and carried entirely by the vehicle.

An asphalt tank or kettle 25 is carried at the front or forward end of the vehicle body, resting upon the forward portion of the vehicle frame 10. The tank 25 is adapted to contain heated asphalt or the like, and for this purpose is provided at-itstop witha swinging door 25 to provide for the dumping or delivery of the asphalt to the tank.

Heating means for the asphalt tank is provided and is carried upon the vehicle. This heating means may be of any standard construction, and preferably includes a fire box 26 and a flue 26.

A distributor 27 is associated with the asphalt tank and includes (see Figure 3) a delivery or outlet pipe 27 having ,swiveled at its lower end, as at 27, a transversely extending perforated distributor pipe 279,

The heated asphalt thus flows through the delivery pipe 27 into the distributor pipe 27 and is discharged in a plurality of jets from the distributor pipe across and upon the surface of the road. Controlling means for regulating the flow of the asphalt through the distributor is provided and consists of a valve 27 arranged in the delivery pipe 27 and operated by a handle lever or the like 27 The free end of the distributor pipe 27 is pivotally connected, as at 27, to the arm 27 of an operating lever 27 which is rotatably mounted, as at 27, upon the to) of the asphalt tank and which is adapted to raise or lower the free end of the distributor pipe so as to vary its inclination with' respect to the road and thus vary the feed of the asphalt to various parts of the road.

A hopper 28 for heated rock, crushed stone, gravel or the like is carried by the frame of the vehicle to the rear of the asphalt tank. The hopper 28 is provided with an inclined bottom 28, which leads to a laterally extending discharge opening 28 having an adjustable valve or gate 28 controlled by operating means 28. The heated rock, gravel, crushed stone or the like is thus spread across the surface of the road when discharged from the opening 28". Suitable means (not shown) is provided for heating the rock hopper and maybe of any standard or conventional construction. It is thus seen that as the asphalt is applied to the surface of the road, or immediately after, the heated rock is applied to the asphalt coated road and, due to the molten or plastic condition of the asphalt and to its own heat, the rock sinks into the asphalt.

Means is provided for subjecting the rock and asphalt on the road to the simultaneous action of heat and pressure. This means consists of a heat and pressure plate 29 extending transversely between the side members 13 of the sled and having its ends bent at right angles, as indicated at 29, and secured by fastening means 29* to the steel members 13 of the sled. The fastening members 29 preferably operate in elongated slots 29 so that the heat and pressure plate 29 is adjustable. The plate 29 is heated by any suitable means, which preferably includes a combustion chamber 30 having grate bars 30. The heating means is also carried by the steel members 13 of the sled. The heat and pressure plate 29 exerts a smoothing and scraping action upon the road to regulate the thickness of the surfacing material andto compact the proper thickness of material while subjecting this material to the action of the heat to the end of more intimately associating the ingredients thereof. For this purpose the plate 29 is maintained more highly heated than the highly heated asphalt.

' A-sand hopper 31 is carried by the rear of the frame 10 of the vehicle, preferably im-'' mediately behind the rock hopper 28. The sand hopper 31 is also provided with an inclined bottom 31 and a laterally and horizontally extending discharge opening 31 at the forward and lower end of the hopper. A control valve or gate 31 is mounted for sliding movement across the discharge opening and is provided with a suitable operating or controlling means 31 by which it may be adjusted to vary the discharge from the sand hopper. The sand from the hopper is thus spread upon the roadway immediately after the asphalt androck have been applied and treated by the heat and pressure plate 29. A scraper and pressure plate 32 is adjustably secured, as at 32, to the side members 13 of the frame of the sled. The adjustment of the scraperand pressure plate 32 is preferably somewhat higher than the adjustment of the heat and pressure plate 29 in order to allow a coating of sand to remain upon the roadway on top of the asphalt and rock. It is to be understood that the scraper and pressure plate 32 spreads ,and compacts the sand upon the road and regulates its thickness.

At the rear of the apparatus a roller 33 is provided, and preferably consists of three sections 33 and 33 and 33, respectively, mounted upon a common shaft 33. The ends of the shaft 33 are connected by drag bars 33 to the sled. The ends are also connected to the cables 33 which are Wound upon winding drums 33 carried by brackets 33" secured to the frame 10 of the vehicle. These winding drums are identical in construction with the winding drums 19 shown in Figure 3 and have the same character of pawl and ratchet mechanism 33 and operating mechanism 33 associated therewith.

In operation, when it is desired to use the invention for resurfacing a roadway, the

sled is lowered into contact for engagement with the ground and theheat and pressure plate 29 and the scraper and pressure plate 33 are adjusted corresponding to the thickness of the surfacing which it is desired to apply. The machine is then drawn over the roadway by any suitable means. The flow of the heated asphalt through the distributor 27 is regulated by the operator in accordance with the conditionsas the control mechanism of the distributor is flexible and highly responsive. The asphalt is evenly spread over the old surface of the roadway and completely covering the same and filling all ruts, breaks and bad places. The heated rock then forms uniformly on the applied asphalt and due to the molten condition ofthe asphalt and to its own heat this rock sinks into and is intimately associated with the asphalt on the roadway so that it is mixed therewith the rock and asphalt are subjected the rock is firmly embedded in the asphalt and is evenly distributed therethrough, and the entire mass is compacted and the surface thereof is smooth and rendered uniform throughout.

Immediately subsequent to this, a coating of sand is spread over the asphalt while it is still in its heated condition and this coating of sand is then subjected'to the action of the scraper and pressure plate 32, which presses the sand into binding contact with the asphalt and which makes the sand coating of uniform thickness over the entire surface. The complete resurfacing is then subjected to the rolling action of the roller 33, which finally compacts the complete mass.

It will be understood that the invention involves a method of resurfacing which consists in the first instance of uniformly distributing highly heated asphalt on the old surface of the roadway, then uniformly dis-.

tributing heated rock on the applied asphalt so that the heated rock and the heated asphalt are mixed upon the roadway. The heated rock and asphalt are then simultaneously subjected to the action of heat and pressure, which causes the rock and asphalt to enter into more'intimate mixture, which compacts the rock and asphalt and smooths the surfaces thereof, so that it is uniform and continuous throughout.

While still inthe heated condition sand is uniformly distributed on the rock and asphalt and thesand is then subjected to the action of a scraping and smoothing pressure, which provides for even and uniform coating of sand and an intimate association of the sand with the asphalt'so that the sand and asphalt enter into combined engagement. The entire mass is then subjected to a rolling action.

\Ve claim:

1. In an apparatus ofthe character described, a wheeled vehicle, a sled arranged beneath and drawn by the vehicle, an asphalt tank carried at the forward end of the vchicle, means for heating the asphalt tank, a distributor for spreading the asphalt on the roadway, a heated hopper for containing rock arranged on the vehicle behind the asphalt tank and having a discharge opening for feeding the heated rock to the asphalt coated roadway, means for subjecting the rock and asphalt on the roadway. means for subjecting the rock andlasphalt on the road way to heat and pressure including a scraper and pressurcplate carried by the sled and heating means for said plate. a sand hopper carried at the rear end of the vehicle and having a discharge opening for feeding the sand to the surfacihg of asphalt and rock, a scraper and pressure plate for the sand carried by the sled, and a roller carried by the rear end of the sled.

2. In an apparatus of the character described, a wheeled vehicle, a sled arranged beneath and drawn by the vehicle, an asphalt tank carried at the forward end of the 've hicle, means for heating the asphalt tank, a distributor for spreading the asphalt on the roadway, a heated hopperfor containing rock arranged on'the vehicle behind the as- .phalt tank and having a discharge opening for feeding the heated rock to the asphalt coated roadway, means for subjecting the rock and asphalt on the roadway to heat and pressure including a scraper and pressure plate carried by the sled and heating means for said plate, and a sand hopper carried at the rear end of the vehicle and having a discharge opening for feeding'the sand to thesurfacing of asphalt and'rock, and a scraper and pressure plate for the sand carried by the sled.

3. In an apparatus of the character described, a wheeled vehicle, a sled arranged beneath and drawn by the vehicle, an asphalt tank carried at the forward end of the vehicle, means for heating the asphalt tank, a distributor for spreading the asphalt on the roadway, a. heated hopper for containing rock arranged on the vehicle behind the asphalt tank'and having a discharge opening for feeding the heated rock to the asphalt coated roadway, means for subjecting the rock and asphalt on the roadway to heat and pressure, including a scraper and pressure plate carried by the-sled, and heating means for said plate.

4. In an apparatus of the character described, a wheeled vehicle, means carried by the vehicle for containing and feeding surfacing material, a sled arranged beneath and drawn by the vehicle, and means carried by the sled for subjecting the material upon the surface of the road to the action of heat and pressure.

5. In an apparatus of the character described, a tank for containing heated asphalt. a distributorfor spreading the heated asphalt from said tank upon the roadway, a hopper for heated rock having adischarge opening adapted to feed the heated rock to the asphalt coated roadway, and means for subjectingthe rock and asphalt to the action of heat and pressure.

(S. In an apparatus of the character described, a wheeled vehicle. meanscarriedby the vehicle for containing and feeding surfacing material, a sled arranged beneath and drawn by the vehicle. means for suspending the sled from the vehicle, including a pawl and ratchet cont-rolled winding drum, and a cable coiled upon the drum and connected to the sled, and means for subjecting the material upon the surface of the road to the act on of heat and pressure.

7. In an apparatus of the character described, a wheeled vehicle, means carried by the vehicle for containing and feeding the surfacing material, a sled arranged beneath and drawirby the vehicle,'and means carried by the sled for subjecting the material upon the surface of the road to the action of heat and pressure, including an adjustable plate.

8. ln an apparatus of the character described. a wheeled vehicle, means carried by the vehicle for containing and feeding the surfacing material. a sled arranged beneath and drawn by the vehicle and including a frame having side members consisting of front and rear wooden sections and intermediate steel sections, and means for subjecting the material upon the surface of the road to the action of heat and pressure, including a pressure plate adjustably mounted upon the steel sections of the side mem-- phalt, a distributor for spreading the heated asphalt from said tank upon the roadway, a hopper for heated rock having a discharge opening adapted to feed the heated rock to the asphalt coated roadway, means co-operating with the discharge opening of said rock hopper for varying the feed of the heated rock. a sand hopper for feeding sand to the surface of the asphalt and rock upon the roadway, and means for varying the feed of said sand.

CORNELIUS D. FARMER. HOLLIS "W. LIBBY. 

